Running Away
by Jas-TheMaddTexan
Summary: Things aren't all that serene on Serenity and Reuben, Kacia and Aadi are tired of it. Now they're going to find their own way in the 'verse...if they can get away from their folks. 18yrs postBDM, semiindirect sequel to Barlight.


Running Away

Chapter One: Problems

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Rueben Washburne sat at the mess table and rubbed his eyes exhaustedly. Why did he always end up being the babysitter? He could do SOMETHING. _Whenever THEY go on a mission I always have to watch the Brats._ He put his head down on the table. He needed to sleep or to get off the ship or to shoot himself or commit ritual suicide. That sounded nice.

Behind him he heard the incessant screechings of the two youngest Tam children. They were fighting again. Always fighting. Michael and little Aaron. Then he heard the pounding of Aadi Reynolds' feet as she ran up and down the hall. That girl was going to get herself killed.

Kacia Tam walked in from the cargo bay. "I think I'm gonna shoot my brothers." She said angrily.

"Only if you let me help." Rueben said stretching and smiling at his friend. "What did they do this time?"

"It's more like what didn't they do." Kacia said. She sat at the table with him. "Let's see they tore up my room, hid my pencils, threw my books all over the cargo bay, and ran around screaming like they were Reavers."

"Yeah, they definitely need to be shot for that." Rueben said sarcastically.

"Wo zai qianshi yiding redao shenme ren le ba?" Kacia put her feet up on the table. "So when are They getting back?"

"Who the hell knows?" Rueben said frustrated once again.

Kacia reached across the table and touched his hand. "Rueben, what's wrong?"

"I'm sick and tired of just sittin' around wonderin' if They're going to come back safe or not." Abruptly he pushed his chair away from the table and rose. "I can help Them. Mom just doesn't want me in the middle. I get she doesn't want anything to happen to me, but she could at least let me go to that piloting school on Santo or the one Beaumonde. They were both interested and even gonna offer me a scholarship."

"Come on, Reuben, it ain't that bad. They let you fly the ship sometimes." Kacia said soothingly.

"Yeah, when we're in the Black or if there's an emergency!"

"What's an emergency?" came an all too familiar voice.

Kacia frowned at her father. "There's no emergency, dad. We were just talking."

"Of course, you are." Dr. Simon Tam said slowly, if not suspiciously. "Listen if there is some kind of…"

"DAD!" Kacia shouted embarrassed.

Rueben grimaced. Simon had suspected that there was something more than friendship going on between his daughter and Rueben for the last three years. Reuben just hoped Simon didn't go into the protection lecture again. He didn't think he could take it, right now. He and Kacia were just friends, hell they were almost siblings... well maybe close cousins. They'd been the first two kids on _Serenity_, the only two for near four years, until Aadi was born.

Deciding he needed to change the subject before it got that far, Rueben said, "You're back early."

"They didn't have the parts Kaylee needed." He said, glancing around. "I take it, Mal and the others aren't back yet."

"No, they ain't, dad." Kacia said deliberately using ain't. "Don't worry about Aunt River, she can take care of her herself."

"Aren't, Kacia. And that's not…" Simon trailed off seeing his wife enter the galley mid rant. Rueben and Kacia exchanged an exasperated glance. He always did that.

Kaylee however didn't seem to notice. She just went on ranting about how used part dealers had all gone to pot in the last three years. She kept going on until she ran out of things to say.

She looked around. "Cap'n ain't back yet?"

"No, mom." Kacia said, rolling her eyes.

"Good." Kaylee sat a large bag on the counter. " 'cause I wanna surprise'em. I fresh fruit at the market." She looked at Reuben and Kacia's faces expecting excitement, but they remained empty. "Somethin' wrong?"

Kacia's mind was brought sharply to bear with a sudden and unexpected reminder of her brothers. Tossed neglectfully in the corner was her sketchbook. "Gorrammit, I can't take this any longer!"

"Can't take what, honey?"

Kacia scooped up her sketchbook and shook in angrily, its torn pages flapping. "This! The boys are making me crazy! I swear if something isn't done soon, I'm gonna be forced to take drastic measures."

"Bao bei, you and Reuben were just as much trouble when you were their age." Kaylee said soothingly.

However Kacia would not be soothed. "We never went through other people things! God, mom, those two melon heads don't give two hoots and a holler about ANYBODY'S privacy. Today it's my room, last week it was Aunt Inara's incense, what's it gonna be tomorrow? Uncle Jayne's artillery stores, Dad's medical supplies? What the rutting hell's next?"

"Kacia!" Simon interjected. "Don't talk to your mother in that tone of voice."

"There's no talking about anything on this boat anymore!" Kacia shouted. She pointed Reuben, "He can't talk about going to school! I can't talk about what a pain those boys are! Aadi…" she trailed off. They all knew what she was talking about. There was not need to reiterate. "I'm serious about what I said, mom. Something needs to be done." Then she stormed out and a frowning Reuben followed her closely.

Simon looked at his wife. "What are we going to do with her?"

Kaylee sighed, "I don' know, but she had a point. You should have a talk with them boys."

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Mal and the rest returned not long afterward to the happy surprise of fresh food and only River had any inkling of what had taken place in the galley one short hour earlier. She could sense that Kacia was still angry with her parents and Reuben's frustrated dissention had been brewing a long time. River thought about telling Mal and Zoe of the ideas both Reuben and Kacia were flirting with throughout the meal, but decided that this was not necessarily a bad occurrence after dipping into the other minds around her. The majority of the crew needed a change of opinion where the "Half-pints" were concerned. And other problems, bigger, more divisive problems might be solved through the likely course of action that was to be taken.

The worst of problems reared its ugly head not long after everyone retired for the evening. Some how Mal got started on the subject of an old client of Inara's that they'd ran into somewhere months before and the next thing anyone knew they had a screaming match going on in the cargo hold. They knew perfectly well how to push each other's buttons and were going at each other full bore. They thought no one could hear them, they thought everyone else was abed, but someone other than River was listening and the fight was breaking her heart.

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Chinese Transaltions

Wo zai qianshi yiding redao shenme ren le ba?-I surely annoyed someone or other in a past life, didn't I?

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Authors Notes:

So I've been working on this awhile. It was actually the first thing I wrote about Reuben and Kacia. I've recently gotten new insperation for it and well I likes it. I've got a couple ideas for them still as kids, but this one is taking precidence right now. Hope y'all enjoyed it. More is on the way.


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